Monte Rosa Hut in the
Swiss Alps

The Monte
Rosa Hut is a mountain hut located near Zermatt at the foot of Monte
Rosa at an altitude of 9,169'. It is owned by the Swiss Alpine Club.
The hut is the start of the normal route to the summit and other
mountains in the area. The first hut was built in 1895. A completely
new building was inaugurated in 2009, at an altitude of 9,458'.

The Old Monte Rosa
The first hut, known under the name Betemps hut, was built
between 1894 and 1895. It had 25 beds and was owned by the
Swiss Alpine Club central committee. The hut was enlarged in
1918 to host 20 more people. The Betemps hut was offered to
the Monte Rosa section in 1929 then transformed and renamed
Monte Rosa hut. Between 1939-1940 a new hut with 86 beds was
built. The capacity was raised up to 146 in 1972 and 160 in
1984.

The New Monte Rosa
Hut
A new hi-tech environmentally friendly mountain hut was inaugurated
in September 2009. The project of the Swiss Alpine Club, to mark the
150th anniversary of the ETH Zürich, was launched in 2003. The
construction materials prefabricated elements were transported by
train to Zermatt and 3,000 helicopter trips were needed to take 35
workers and materials up to the glacier. The five-story crystal -
shaped building was built on stainless-steel foundations with a
spiral interior completely made out of wood, the exterior being
covered with a silver aluminium shell. The building is designed to
obtain 90 per cent of its power needs from the sun. Excess energy is
stored in valve-regulated lead-acid accumulators, which guarantee
power even when it is overcast. The water is produced from melting
glaciers then collected and stored in a large reservoir 131 feet
above the hut. Bands of windows allow the sun to heat air inside the
spiral building with the redistribution of thermal energy produced
by visitors. Over the next few years the hut will become a research
station for the students from the ETH Zürich. They will use it to
investigate how to use energy and resources efficiently. Monte Rosa
HutSwitzerland Website: www.section-monte-rosa.ch